DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Many people are kicking off the holiday weekend, and it’s expected to be busy over the next few days.
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You may notice some changes if you’re headed to any Volusia County beach.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said his agency now has full law enforcement authority over the beaches.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill making the change on Thursday.
Read: Law enforcement on Volusia County beaches now falls on sheriff’s office
Chitwood said he and Volusia Beach Safety have been working on the transition for 16 weeks, but they have had deputies working the beaches since May 1.
The sheriff added the new law allows beach patrol to concentrate on saving lives and not worry about fighting crime.
“The governor signed a bill Thursday afternoon, which made the beach patrol law enforcement obsolete,” he said. “They’re no longer a police department.”
Read: Beach safety, Volusia County sheriff differ on bills that would eliminate beach patrol
Chitwood said they would work the beaches like they patrol other county areas to prevent crime.
He also had a message for people who cause trouble at the beaches, as law enforcement had arrested three people on Mother’s Day weekend.
“There is going to be plainclothes deputies floating around that you’ll never know,” Chitwood said. “So for the blanket bandits, be forewarned, you may find yourself in handcuffs pretty quick.”
Read: Volusia County sets up special event zones for Memorial Day weekend
Seventeen beach patrol members took advantage and signed up to become Volusia County deputies.
Chitwood said there were a total of 58 beach patrol members before this change.
“There’s 41 more people focusing on the water that weren’t there before,” he said. “They were focusing on all these other tasks. Now, they don’t have to worry about it. Focus on the water and do what you do best.”
Memorial Day weekend is expected to be busy in Daytona Beach, so people should expect more police on the beach and in the streets than usual.
Chitwood said that depending on the time of the year, they can shift people to other waterways, such as Lake Monroe and the intercoastal.
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